Things I Ain't Even Tried
by shadowsofthealmighty
Summary: Ever wondered what that thing was that Dr Facilier "Never Tried?" Here's my theory... in sequel form. An OC, future transformation, and other such things.
1. Chapter 1: Nightime in New Orleans

Things I Ain't Even Tried

Chapter One: Nightime in New Orleans

Note: I do not own _The Princess and the Frog_ nor any related copyrights such as Princess Tianna, Prince Naveen, Dr. Facilier, Mama Odie, and other such related characters.

July 11, 1919

Two nights before the Full Moon

In the dark of the night, a figure walked the unnaturally quiet streets of New Orleans. Typically, musicians, late night scoundrels, or at least homeless bums would be wandering the streets this time of night. However, something kept people away from this particular block unless they were expected.

Which, of course, David wasn't.

David Creed was a man that always went places without being invited: parties, ceremonies, other people's bedrooms. The life of a thief was one of many sorrows and many rewards. So far, David managed to steer clear of the sorrows and feel many of the rewards. But nowadays people were more cautious. Nobody left their door unlocked anymore, nobody kept a window on the lower floor open anymore, nobody unintentionally allowed a thief into their home anymore. This made things difficult for David.

_A man's got to eat_ he always told himself. What's so wrong about using his own particular talents to do so? Still, times were rough and he needed something to take and sell fast.

He rubbed his aching stomach as he unconsciously turned into an alleyway. He knew people that would buy things, people that he knew had good motivations. Collectors, curators, and even royalty sometimes bought the things he "found." They never knew that what they now had in their possession was stolen goods.

_What they don't know won't hurt me_ he always told himself.

He looked up to find himself in a completely unfamiliar neighborhood: A square dominated by a single wilting tree had now become the latest place he was uninvited to.

And an open door, despite the skulls that adorned its door and the eerie darkness that enveloped the inner room only welcomed him in. David rubbed his cold hands together and walked in.

Upon stepping into the room, the door slammed shut behind him and lanterns suddenly sprang to life, illuminating the room. Dark curtains hung from the walls and ceiling. Cupboards filled with questionable paraphernalia loomed over his head. At the far end of the room, a table set for three stood dusty in front of another curtain.

"All right, nobody home." Was all David said.

He made his way through the chamber, being careful not to step on any traps or things that may be worth something to someone. Either way, he'd be in trouble. He made his way to the table and saw the deck of cards in the center. Brushing aside the dust, he flipped through cards.

_Tarot cards_ he recalled, recognizing the familiar shapes. One time he sold a deck of expensive cards to a businessman on his way to Panama. Chuckling, David drew three cards from the deck, remembering the whole routine from presenting it to the businessman.

The first card was the Wheel of Fortune, but instead of the familiar wheel, there was a figure of a man who was taking money from a man's pocket and putting it into another's. David laughed and put the card down.

The second card was the Moon, but again, instead of the normal picture, was the same man walking on a street under the moon with his hand against his stomach. Uneasy, David put the card down and flipped over the next.

The final card was the Devil, and a devil it was. A beast of pure flame seemed to reach out of the card towards him, beckoning. David threw down the card and turned away. _Stay away from tarot cards_ David noted to himself.

He continued to look through the junk around the room to find something covering something else. Bending down, David saw that what appeared to be a voodoo doll was covering something that glittered. Taking the doll and tossing it to the side, David picked up the object beneath. It was small, a tiny jewelry box. It was plain and dark but the material seemed to sparkle as though it were alive.

"Hello jackpot." David said as he opened the box.

Suddenly a flaming figure burst forth and screamed. An evil presence seemed to push its way out of the box. The flames seemed to envelop the room. With a jerk, David slammed the lid back down onto the box and gasped for breath. He looked at the thing in his hands. The glittering box continued to glitter as though nothing had happened.

David looked around the room. The dark presence in the room had finally gotten to him, causing his eyes to dart around the room in panic. He finally looked back at the box.

"What they don't know," David said, putting the box in his coat, "won't hurt me."

With a turn, David fled the room, throwing the door behind him shut. The lanterns went out as if by magic.


	2. Chapter 2: Evening at Tiana's Place

Things I Ain't Even Tried

Chapter Two: Evening at Tiana's Place

Note: I do not own _The Princess and the Frog_ nor any related copyrights such as Princess Tianna, Prince Naveen, Dr. Facilier, Mama Odie, and other such related characters.

July 12, 1919

One night before the Full Moon

Right on the shores of New Orleans stood an old forgotten sugar mill; at least, that's what it was a year ago. Now, the building had been decorated much like one of the steam boats that plodded the Mississippi. Lights glimmered from everywhere they could be hung. And adorning the space over the grand entryway was a sign bearing the name of the establishment: TIANA'S PLACE.

In the line outside of the restaurant, David stood in a fine tuxedo, the box in his pocket. Looking down the line, he whistled. _For being open only a month_, David thought as he scooted forward, _this place sure has a following_.

It took him nearly half an hour before he made it to the front of the line. Looking up from the large book of reservations was a man in an impeccable white suit. "Good evening sir, do you have a reservation?"

David smiled and said, 'Why yes, it should be under Clemens."

The man flipped a few pages and ran his finger down a list of names, "Clemens… Samuel Clemens. Welcome to Tiana's Place."

David smiled and followed the maître d towards the back of the room. Samuel Clemens was the name he chose when meeting clients; giving away his real name was a risk he simply wasn't willing to take despite his inordinate good luck.

Inside was just as spectacularly decorated as the exterior. A great chandelier hung from the center of the room. Lights glistened off of every surface. In the back of the room was an elegant stage on which…

"Sir?" The Maître d asked as David stopped in the center of the room.

"There is an alligator playing the trumpet." David stated, looking squarely at, indeed, an alligator playing the trumpet.

"Yes sir, his name is Lou."

"Uh-huh." David replied in the same tone, almost as if he too thought this was nothing to be confused over. "And… he plays here every night?"

"No sir, only on the weekends and sometimes Friday; he needs to get back to the bayou."

"The bayou, of course; because… he's an alligator."

"Yes sir, this way." The maître d said, ending the conversation and ushering David to the table in the corner of the room. It was easy to get a reservation for this table seeing as rarely someone went here to stay in the corner. Still, that's exactly what David requested, and money talks or, at least, the money he pretended he had does.

_Well, I'll only be pretending till the end of dinner_, David thought as he sat down. Using his typical contacts, he had found someone in the city that was willing to buy the, "unique jewelry box." From what he heard, the man was a collector with an eye to rare an exotic pieces. He was a recluse, and anytime he went out it was only with two very close friends.

"Welcome to Tiana's Place, what can I help you with?" David looked up at the waiter, a handsome man with a pronounced French accent. _But the dialect is something on the East side_, David thought, _maybe Burgundy, or Maldonian_. "No thanks," David replied, giving his winning smile, "I'm just here to meet someone."

"Suit yourself, it makes my job easier." The waiter said, putting away his pad and pulling out a ukulele as if out of nowhere. Before David could say anything else, the waiter had jumped onto the stage and had begun to play with the alligator.

David, shocked, sat back and wished he had asked for something to drink before the dancing waiter waltzed off.

…

Tiana walked amongst the people dancing on the floor, sliding around the waiters moving to and fro through the crowd. As she passed, people turned and called out to her; some even applauded. Tiana just smiled.

She looked around the great restaurant, the highest point of her and her father's dream. The lights, the decorations, the food, everything is as she had pictured it. She had found everything she ever wanted. As her roaming eyes settled on Naveen, dancing like a fool onstage and playing his ukulele like a madman, she remembered, she also had what she needed.

"Naveen, get down from there!" She playfully called out to he husband. "You look like a fool."

Naveen laughed and leapt down, replying, "Ah Princess, you know I must. My love for you has driven me completely mad."

Tiana laughed and kissed him on the lips. "I hope not mad enough to forget your job," Tiana said, lifting the waiter's pad from his back pocket. "It was _your_ idea to help me out with Jake's absence."

Sighing, Naveen took back the pad and said, "Well, I suppose I must. For you, my princess." He kissed her again and stepped back to say, "But there is not much to do. The people are dancing, not eating. Things are, as you say, under control."

Tiana turned away and said over her shoulder, "Just be sure not to do anything too stupid."

"What makes you think I would do something like that?!" Naveen called out to her, not waiting for her response. The music was moving him. He danced through the crowd, sidestepping waiters, limbo-ing under trays. And yet he found himself always watching the man in the corner. The man looked anxious, unhappy. This certainly wasn't a man that would willingly come to Tiana's Place.

But his thoughts were interrupted by the commotion at the front door.

…

David looked up to see the man pushing his way past the maître d towards him.

The maître d insisted, "But sir, you have to wait your turn. I must ask you…"

The man and his two friends who flanked him forced their way past. The man smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've got a friend waiting for me."

David stood up and shook hands with the newcomer. "Don't worry," he reassured the maître d, "This man is with me." The maître d huffed and walked back to his podium.

David turned back to examine the man. He wore a pinstripe suit of black and a red rose tucked in his front pocket. The suit was brand new, the face not. Wrinkles and folds of fat covered the face of the man, giving him the appearance of a pumpkin. He was mostly balc, but what hair he did have was extremely greasy. _Old man, lots of money, easygoing_, David thought, _jackpot_.

The friends were a different matter. The two loomed over both David and the man. Their floor length trench coats and fedoras gave them a shadowy appearance. David thought he saw that one man had a beard, but he couldn't be sure.

"Mr. Clemens." The man said in an Italian accent. _Probably Sicilian_, David thought.

"Please, call me Sam." David said, beginning his planned sales pitch.

"Can I call you Mark, Mr. Twain?" David's smile dropped upon hearing the man's apparent deciphering of his identity. "Come now, surely could have picked a better name than that? But, I am not a man that is willing to give up a find over something trivial as a fake identity. Please, may I sit?"

"Ahh…" David said, trying to compose his manner again. "Certainly; sit, sit."

The three newcomer sat around the table, the two friends more uncomfortably straight than the man in the middle.

The man gave a wheezing laugh that made it sound as though he was coughing. "If you insist on using a fake name, you can call me Mr. G. How does that sound?" David nodded. "Good, now where's the box."

David reached into his jacket. "I have heard that you are a man that prides value. And, upon seeing your suit, I can see that for a fact. What I have here, is something that may suit a person of your interests." Finishing his opening pitch, David set the box on the table.

"Remarkable," Mr. G said. "This is simply remarkable. I haven't seen something like this in a while." Mr. G looked at David. "You know, I've been looking for something just like this for my collection. I am a collector of artifacts, as you know, and this box would look great between my Silver Samurai sword and my jade amulet."

David only nodded, his mind working in high gear. Ever since he saw the way Mr. G had looked at the box, he had completely ditched the idea of selling it to him. When he pulled out the box, David saw that Mr. G had a hungry look on his face, like a general receiving his enemy's battle plans. Furious anticipation had flickered behind the man's eyes, giving away his true intentions.

_He knows what this is and doesn't care_.

David had made it a point of not selling his "findings" where they can be used to cause deliberate harm to others. One time he had sold an emerald ring to a Baron who had passed into town only to discover that he was planning on using it to frame a cousin of his and take over his share of the inheritance. David immediately "reacquired" it.

Now, he would have to move quickly to make sure this doesn't get into Mr. G's hands.

"So as you can see," Mr. G concluded, summing up the monologue he concocted around his fabricated collection, "I am willing to pay any price for it. Name it, and it's yours."

Despite the promise of wealth rousing something in the shallower parts of his mind, David pushed the thought out of his head. "Wow, I never expected you to be generous as well. But, we cannot discuss business over an empty stomach. Oh, waiter!" He called over the man's shoulder.

The three guests instinctively turned to see who was behind them. Only after seeing the absence of a waiter did they turn back to see the absence of the thief and his box. It only took two seconds for Mr. G to see David pushing his way through the dancers.

"Boys," Mr. G simply said, "time for Plan B." The two friends nodded and stood up along with Mr. G. Underneath their trench coats, they gripped the sawed-off shotguns and proceeded after David.


End file.
